Good Days and Bad
by Pyro Bear
Summary: There are good days and bad, unfortunately this day turns out to be one of both. Toby-centric. Early season 6.


Title: Good and Bad Days  
Author: Elisabeth (pyrobear)  
Rating: K+ (PG)  
Summary: There are good days and bad, unfortunately this day turns out to be one of both.  
Spoilers: Early season 6, CJ has a new job.  
Disclaimer/Note: I do not own the characters other than Miriam. I do not proclaim that I know the characters that well and I look forward to any constructive criticism that may be offered. 

Today was a good day. It was Tuesday. The Yankees won the night before, and Annabeth wasn't being particularly perky or annoying. Apparently, Leo was doing better. And finally someone was running the show. So yeah, today was good.

Toby was halfway down the hall, almost out the door, when Carol called for him to answer a phone call. "Leaving now, Carol. Coat on and everything." He called back, turning around anyway. Something about work always called him back. Some days he wondered if he really ever left the West Wing. Carol handed him the phone. "Speak."

"Hi Toby." The voice was young, soft, female. "It's Miriam." It was never Mimi or Mitzi or any other silly little nickname. It was Miriam. She didn't put up with pretensions like that.

"Hey kid." His tone softened, not that Toby Zeigler was soft by any means.

"Oh hell, there's no easy way to tell you this, Toby, so I'll just come out and say it. There was an accident, MetroNorth, you know how my mom was about going into the City." The girl sighed. "I need you up here, soon. There's no way I'm going to either of my uncles' houses."

The Goldsteins were people unto themselves. A religiously mixed family, it caused tension on both sides. They didn't live particularly close to either side of their family for a reason. Hell, the only reason he was chosen for godparent was because he was Jewish enough for Aaron's mother and just New York enough to satisfy Lily's upstate New York family. So the three-member scampered around their New York suburban home, gearing up for the long haul of college. But that didn't matter now. Or did it?

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Toby promised, hanging up. He turned to Carole. "Schedule me for the next flight to New York and find me the number of the car service Josh uses when he goes to Connecticut. Tell the nanny I'm not going to be home tonight."

The hour plane ride hadn't been bad; it was the car ride that had gotten him. Sitting in the backseat of the Lincoln, Toby began to think about the first time he had met Aaron Goldstein. It was Toby's 12th summer; Aaron had come down to the city to visit his grandmother. He was a scrawny thing, all arms and legs with a shock of dark brown hair and a big nose. He didn't know when to shut up and he asked too many questions. But what could a 12-year-old Toby do? What could he expect from a kid who liked the Boston Red Sox? He taught the scrawny kid who asked too many questions to always carry a roll of quarters in his fist.

Toby had to grin at that. Aaron had only come down for five summers, but in those five summers, a life long friendship was born. Besides, it was nice to know there were other people, other Jewish kids, out there. They went to different schools. Aaron to Syracuse and Toby of course to NYU, but they shared an apartment together when Aaron completed his masters. He had stood in at Aaron's wedding as best man, his brother had to go and get food poisoning. He had been there when Lily, Aaron's wife, had lost the first baby, only to be blessed with Miriam.

Miriam. Born six weeks too early, but that didn't matter to her. Known as the "Little Mayor" at preschool, she had never met a person she didn't like. Okay, maybe once, but that hardly counted.

"Sir." The car had stopped. "We're at 131 Huckleberry Lane."

Stepping out of the car, Toby was facing with a decent sized farmhouse, and old one according to the plaque by the door. He handed the driver a wrinkled twenty from his pocket before walking up the steps and ringing the doorbell. Not even a minute later, a teenage girl, Miriam, answered. "Toby." She sighed, smiling slightly before she flung herself at him. Toby patted her back awkwardly. "I didn't expect you here so late." She glanced at her watch. "Or early as the case may be. And I look like shit."

Toby said nothing.

"Sorry it's such a mess. But with everything that's going on. Well, yeah." Miriam wouldn't look at him. But he heard the coffee maker making the coffee maker sounds. It was only minutes before she handed him a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

"You've lost weight."

She smirked at him. Toby never remembered her smirking. "It's been four years." She began counting on her fingers. "You saw me when, during my Bat Mitzvah? Two years ago, everyone was stressing over the elections so there was no private tour of the West Wing for me. Last year I went down really to look at schools, no time for socializing."

"What schools?"

"Huh?"

"What schools were you looking at?" Toby clarified.

"Just American actually. Georgetown scared me, and GW was too…metropolitan. I like my campuses small. My dad doesn't," she closed her eyes for a moment before amending her statement, "didn't really want me to go there."

"You're not crying. Why aren't you crying?" He took a sip from his mug.

"I don't cry for these things." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Call it a defense mechanism."

The funeral was held the next day, Thursday. Aaron's brother was there with his wife and two children and both Lily's brothers were there, as were her one of her nieces and all of her nephews. Miriam's friends were there, as were friends of the community. Later, Miriam told him that neither Aaron's sister and her family, nor Lily's sister and family, made it. Apparently, Mary Beth, Lily's sister had money problems and couldn't make it, but called. Aaron's sister didn't say anything, though her son, Miriam's cousin, had called.

It went well; as well as any funeral could go. Toby felt awkward; there seem to be factions all over the house. Lily's family sat in one clump, Aaron's in another. Their friends still in yet another, while Miriam's teenage friends sat in the kitchen. Toby wandered. Miriam fluttered about.

The real problems didn't start until most everyone left, save some family and Miriam's best friend, Autumn (what was it with New Englanders and hippie names), who was apparently crashing for the night. Over coffee, Lily's mother, Millie, brought up the issue of custody. Then Aaron's brother got into it. One could compare the argument to a tennis match, a very well matched, tennis match. It probably would have gone on into the early morning if Miriam hadn't said anything.

"Enough." A blush crept up her cheeks. "I'm not going anywhere."

After her announcement, a whole new argument started, this time the family against the teenage girl. She made some good points, she was seventeen, a senior in high school, the house was paid for, her parents had already paid for college, she was responsible, and she had a safety net. But even with all that, she was losing, quickly.

"I'll take her." Toby hardly knew he had said something until all eyes were on him. It reminded him vaguely of the pressroom. "I mean...she wants to go to school in DC, right? I live in DC."

Again the arguments began, and would have gotten much louder for much longer if Miriam hadn't said anything. "It's either him or here."

Two weeks later Toby found himself waiting in front of Gate A in Union Station, cursing the fact that his goddaughter couldn't use planes like a normal person. When the girl finally made her way off the platform, she looked…different. "Your hair."

She smirked. "Well that's a great welcome, how are you? But look on the bright side. At least I come house trained."


End file.
